It may be Monday, but it is an extremely short week. Two and a half days, to be precise. The university has a generous vacation policy; somehow, I always end up with a week or more left at the beginning of May that must be used by June 30th.
Lots of fun things planned for the longer long weekend. A lesson on the embroidery features of the 830, a visit from the air conditioning guy for routine annual maintenance (I lived for fifty years without air conditioning - trust me, being able to say the A/C tech is coming for annual maintenance is indeed a reason to rejoice), a craft day with a young friend and a worship music concert/event at church. Fill in the corners of the days with a bit of cleaning, plant shopping and potting and reading for one nice break.
This past weekend got away from me a bit. I slept in for a while on Saturday (7:30...lame, but it's almost three hours extra sleep), then messed around showering, getting dressed and throwing in a load of wash before an impromptu meeting with a friend for coffee.
Both of us had a list of cleaning/yard work/errands for the day; neither of us had much ambition. When we finally parted, we realized we'd been idly chatting for three hours. It was actually nice to be able to sit and talk without a deadline, even though all the other work was still there to be done. Need to do that more often.
Hot and humid are the words for today and tomorrow, followed by cooler and wet for the rest of the week. I can't remember a Memorial Day weekend when we didn't get some rain. Well, except for those when it has been beastly hot. For the first time this year I walked out of the house without a jacket on, feeling vaguely underdressed. Truth to tell, I miss the pockets more than anything. So much easier to get various sets of keys and identification cards out of pockets than the purse.
Better get back to it; it would be nice to clean the desk off completely before being off for those couple of days.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Ms. Crankypants is in the house
It is a gorgeous day - sunny, warm but not hot. The huge, office-politics charged projects are done and off my desk. It will be a lazy day at work, doing catch up and taking a quick walk or two out in the sun at break time. There is an inch thick buffalo sirloin waiting at home for dinner.
So why am I Ms. Crankypants?
Why have designers given us only oversized "satchels' and "shoppers" for purse choices for the last several years? What's wrong with a smaller, less pack-mulish handbag?
Why does the city/county/state insist on road projects that compete with one another - the alternate route given for a city road project takes you through a construction area for a county road project, et cetera, et cetera?
Why does the rainy/stormy/cold/muggy weather always arrive for the weekend - especially holiday weekends?
Why is the government that theoretically serves at my pleasure doing everything it can to squelch free speech, govern by intimidation and generally behave like a socialist/communist despot?
Why did I step on the scale this morning?
All of life's unanswerable questions. I'm hoping that repeated applications of coffee, while not providing the answers, will at least keep me from killing my coworkers, most of whom I like.
So why am I Ms. Crankypants?
Why have designers given us only oversized "satchels' and "shoppers" for purse choices for the last several years? What's wrong with a smaller, less pack-mulish handbag?
Why does the city/county/state insist on road projects that compete with one another - the alternate route given for a city road project takes you through a construction area for a county road project, et cetera, et cetera?
Why does the rainy/stormy/cold/muggy weather always arrive for the weekend - especially holiday weekends?
Why is the government that theoretically serves at my pleasure doing everything it can to squelch free speech, govern by intimidation and generally behave like a socialist/communist despot?
Why did I step on the scale this morning?
All of life's unanswerable questions. I'm hoping that repeated applications of coffee, while not providing the answers, will at least keep me from killing my coworkers, most of whom I like.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
What color is your parachute car?
While pondering the thirty-one miles per gallon my ten year old Honda Civic still gets on 95% city driving, I ran across an article on what your car color may say about you.The article is a bit confusing, as it both mentions research that shows there is a correlation between car color and driving habits (and by extension, one would think, your personality) and goes on to say there probably isn't a real link between color choice and what you are like. It says there is no evidence to support claims that color is representative of the driver's psyche, but concludes with a list of colors and related personality traits.
Eh - who needs real research to have a little fun? Following is the list of car colors and associated traits. What does your color choice say about you?
I must be getting older - I've gone from red to black, and have been seriously thinking about beige for a small SUV sometime in the next two years. It's worth noting that car colors, like decorating colors, go through cycles. Certain manufacturers have traditional colors as well.
Leave your car color and analysis in the comments.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Mid week musings
Things falling out of my head, in no particular order (and with no mental filter, apparently):
The season ended for Once Upon a Time with Henry being kidnapped by the bad guys, who took him through a portal, apparently to Neverland. What I don't get is this: the bad guys hate magic, and are trying to eradicate it completely in our world-if they hate magic so much, why are they taking Henry to a world where there is magic? Eh, next season will tell.
There were frost warnings posted for yesterday morning. The current temperature is 72 degrees - and that is both close to the lake (cooler) and after a bit of a mid-afternoon drop. No wonder I'm still sick.
I watched Silver Linings Playbook over the weekend. I was not impressed.
That was in lieu of going out to see Iron Man 3, which I'd still like to see this week. Robert Downey, Jr. > Bradley Cooper any day.
Pam cannot make it to Craft Day, as her daughter just told her that granddaughter #2's high school graduation is the same day. They live in Tulsa. The one in Oklahoma. No chance of Pam making both events.
But Renae can come. We will quilt/craft like fiends. Or at least like women who don't get to do this kind of thing on a regular basis. If you are local and want to come, it's Friday, May 24th, starting sometime around lunch time and going until who knows when. Drop me an e-mail or comment if you plan to be here.
Amazed at what the administration thinks the media, and by extension the public, will swallow. I almost (almost) feel sorry for Jay Carney being forced to spew that garbage. Now Holder has ordered an investigation of the IRS. No doubt he wants to deflect interest from his own agency, and their over-reach in demanding phone records from the Associated Press. Will this ever end?
The new quilt may be on the bed sideways. It's kind of hard to tell, since it's whole cloth, not pieced blocks. It reaches to the floor on both sides of the bed, but has little overhang at the foot. I wasn't paying enough attention when I put it on, I guess.
It's strange, but in spite of the light flooding into the bedroom early in the morning, I've wanted to sleep in. I'm blaming it on the cool nights and open window - perfect conditions for snuggling in. We're at the time of year where the sun streams horizontally into your eyes as you try to navigate the freeway to work.
The season ended for Once Upon a Time with Henry being kidnapped by the bad guys, who took him through a portal, apparently to Neverland. What I don't get is this: the bad guys hate magic, and are trying to eradicate it completely in our world-if they hate magic so much, why are they taking Henry to a world where there is magic? Eh, next season will tell.
There were frost warnings posted for yesterday morning. The current temperature is 72 degrees - and that is both close to the lake (cooler) and after a bit of a mid-afternoon drop. No wonder I'm still sick.
I watched Silver Linings Playbook over the weekend. I was not impressed.
That was in lieu of going out to see Iron Man 3, which I'd still like to see this week. Robert Downey, Jr. > Bradley Cooper any day.
Pam cannot make it to Craft Day, as her daughter just told her that granddaughter #2's high school graduation is the same day. They live in Tulsa. The one in Oklahoma. No chance of Pam making both events.
But Renae can come. We will quilt/craft like fiends. Or at least like women who don't get to do this kind of thing on a regular basis. If you are local and want to come, it's Friday, May 24th, starting sometime around lunch time and going until who knows when. Drop me an e-mail or comment if you plan to be here.
Amazed at what the administration thinks the media, and by extension the public, will swallow. I almost (almost) feel sorry for Jay Carney being forced to spew that garbage. Now Holder has ordered an investigation of the IRS. No doubt he wants to deflect interest from his own agency, and their over-reach in demanding phone records from the Associated Press. Will this ever end?
The new quilt may be on the bed sideways. It's kind of hard to tell, since it's whole cloth, not pieced blocks. It reaches to the floor on both sides of the bed, but has little overhang at the foot. I wasn't paying enough attention when I put it on, I guess.
It's strange, but in spite of the light flooding into the bedroom early in the morning, I've wanted to sleep in. I'm blaming it on the cool nights and open window - perfect conditions for snuggling in. We're at the time of year where the sun streams horizontally into your eyes as you try to navigate the freeway to work.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Ambition is a fickle thing
She flees at the slightest mention of "work". Sigh.
I managed to go to bed a full hour early last night, which contributed greatly to my ability to jump out of bed this morning to toddle off to Panera. They open at six; I arrived very shortly afterwards, showered, hair dry, bright eyed and ready to map out the day.
And map I did. My love of lists is well documented (see sidebar for post label); this is a stellar example. Every little thing is detailed, the better to impart a sense of accomplishment and reinvigorated determination to finish as I cross things off. In fact, the way it was set up, I could cross off the first two items before I made it any further in the house than through the basement door.
Life has a way of sidetracking things, though. I took a call just as I drove into the condo complex, and ended up on the phone for half an hour, unable to go into the underground parking because I'd lose the call. By the time I got inside (and did the first two things on the list before I went upstairs), it was morning snack time (consistency is key).
Sitting down was a mistake. I manged to find a number of things to sidetrack me from the actual list, none of which involved anything more strenuous than inputting some data in an app.
Geez.
It's getting better. The sound dock is playing the "happy" playlist (side note: open concept is great for music systems - I can hear the sound dock clearly everywhere on the second floor (and not because I have it turned up)). I brought a box of books from the studio up to the loft - AND shelved them immediately. The empty box and an old fan sit at the head of the stairs, to be taken down shortly. The sun finally came out, which always makes housework and things more pleasant.
The big grouping on my list falls under "kitchen", a bit laughable considering the minuscule size of that room. There are things to clean, cook, chop and defrost. I should probably grab the stuff to take downstairs and get to it.
Isn't it about lunch time?
I managed to go to bed a full hour early last night, which contributed greatly to my ability to jump out of bed this morning to toddle off to Panera. They open at six; I arrived very shortly afterwards, showered, hair dry, bright eyed and ready to map out the day.
And map I did. My love of lists is well documented (see sidebar for post label); this is a stellar example. Every little thing is detailed, the better to impart a sense of accomplishment and reinvigorated determination to finish as I cross things off. In fact, the way it was set up, I could cross off the first two items before I made it any further in the house than through the basement door.
Life has a way of sidetracking things, though. I took a call just as I drove into the condo complex, and ended up on the phone for half an hour, unable to go into the underground parking because I'd lose the call. By the time I got inside (and did the first two things on the list before I went upstairs), it was morning snack time (consistency is key).
Sitting down was a mistake. I manged to find a number of things to sidetrack me from the actual list, none of which involved anything more strenuous than inputting some data in an app.
Geez.
It's getting better. The sound dock is playing the "happy" playlist (side note: open concept is great for music systems - I can hear the sound dock clearly everywhere on the second floor (and not because I have it turned up)). I brought a box of books from the studio up to the loft - AND shelved them immediately. The empty box and an old fan sit at the head of the stairs, to be taken down shortly. The sun finally came out, which always makes housework and things more pleasant.
The big grouping on my list falls under "kitchen", a bit laughable considering the minuscule size of that room. There are things to clean, cook, chop and defrost. I should probably grab the stuff to take downstairs and get to it.
Isn't it about lunch time?
Thursday, May 09, 2013
Drowning in customer service
In the past seventy-two hours, I've received three e-mails and two phone calls about a very, very small issue with a food chain. The total effort expended by the company in time, managerial effort and coupons is easily more than one hundred times the cost of the error to me. It's a bit like taking out an ant with an elephant gun.
This is on top of another call from our energy company, who wanted me to take a survey about my call to them to discuss adjusting my budget billing. I had already declined the opportunity to take a "brief survey" at the beginning of that call; now they were calling me two days later to try to get me to do it anyway?
Companies today have to deal with the immediacy and viral nature of electronic social media, and the ease with which negative stories about their products and services can be spread. After all, most people will only comment on the bad stuff, not on the good. I get it: they have an image to protect.
There has to be some sort of balance. How many people will complain loudly about something on Twitter or Facebook, solely in hopes of getting something for free? "The customer is always right" - but what about when the customer is being dishonest? How much are companies - and by extension, their customers - paying to placate people who are simply trying to con them?
While I dislike not getting any service at all, this new attitude of "placate the customer at any cost" isn't an improvement.
This is on top of another call from our energy company, who wanted me to take a survey about my call to them to discuss adjusting my budget billing. I had already declined the opportunity to take a "brief survey" at the beginning of that call; now they were calling me two days later to try to get me to do it anyway?
Companies today have to deal with the immediacy and viral nature of electronic social media, and the ease with which negative stories about their products and services can be spread. After all, most people will only comment on the bad stuff, not on the good. I get it: they have an image to protect.
There has to be some sort of balance. How many people will complain loudly about something on Twitter or Facebook, solely in hopes of getting something for free? "The customer is always right" - but what about when the customer is being dishonest? How much are companies - and by extension, their customers - paying to placate people who are simply trying to con them?
While I dislike not getting any service at all, this new attitude of "placate the customer at any cost" isn't an improvement.
Wednesday, May 08, 2013
Shameless plug
A friend is in the midst of fundraising for a mission trip this coming August to Kingston, Jamaica, and is in need of funds.
John has a passion for sharing the gospel and discipling young Christians, and is working on a program to couple that passion with another - martial arts. He's developing a program called Christ Kune Do (The Way of Christ), combining the discipline of martial arts with Bible memory work and teaching.
The link above is to the mission specific page of his Rising Sons Martial Arts page, but please take a look around the site and get to know him. He has the passion and giftings to be able to effectively reach people for Christ; do you have the gift to be willing to support him financially?
You can use the "contact" link on the site to contact him, or drop me a comment or e-mail (werled@hotmail.com) and I can give you information on how to donate.
Giving, in any way, produces blessing for both the recipient and the giver.
John has a passion for sharing the gospel and discipling young Christians, and is working on a program to couple that passion with another - martial arts. He's developing a program called Christ Kune Do (The Way of Christ), combining the discipline of martial arts with Bible memory work and teaching.
The link above is to the mission specific page of his Rising Sons Martial Arts page, but please take a look around the site and get to know him. He has the passion and giftings to be able to effectively reach people for Christ; do you have the gift to be willing to support him financially?
You can use the "contact" link on the site to contact him, or drop me a comment or e-mail (werled@hotmail.com) and I can give you information on how to donate.
Giving, in any way, produces blessing for both the recipient and the giver.
"...give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
Luke 6:38
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